Internal combustion engines are known to utilize valve lifters, also referred to as tappets which engage a camshaft lobe at one end and a pushrod at the opposite end. Lash adjusters can be inserted between the lifter and the push rod to ensure an appropriate gap exists to accommodate heat expansion. Rollers can be utilized on the ends of the lifters that engage the camshaft lobe to reduce friction and extend the useful life of the lifter. Rollers should maintain a particular orientation with respect to the camshaft to prevent damage to the rollers and/or the engine.
Guides are known to be used for aligning valve lifters and maintaining the lifter rollers in a correct orientation for engine assembly or maintenance requiring lifter removal and replacement. Such guides can be time-consuming and complicated to install. Guides can also be expensive to manufacture and can produce undesirable engine noise.
It is therefore desirable to provide a guide that is inexpensive to produce and can be quickly and simply installed. It is also desirable for that guide to align valve lifters with respective camshaft lobes for installation, and additionally align push rods with respective valve lifters (and, in some instances, respective lash adjusters) for installation. It is desirable to be able to install at least the lifters into the guide prior to installing the guide in a vehicle engine. It is also desirable to provide a lifter guide that does not produce undesirable engine noise.